Dungeons & Dragons: Attack Wing Post Launch. What’s Next?

Wizkids‘ Dungeon & Dragons: Attack Wing has had its first releases on shelves for about a month, and organized play is well underway. Currently the game has ten units (plus the White Dragon for the first month organized play and blind boosters), and while those provide some solid gameplay and options, where does it all go from here? We take a look at the next couple of waves and what you can expect.

Wave 2

Wave two consists of the Black Shadow Dragon, Movanic Deva Angel, and Arakocra Troop Expansion. Originally supposed to be released in November, the figure may see shelves this December.

Described as the most evil-tempered and sadistic of the chromatic dragons, Black Shadow Dragons strike the weakest enemies first to ensure victory and avoid other dragons. They also hoard treasures and magic items.

All of this can be easily depicted in a game piece by making attacks against other dragons (especially tougher ones) not as successful and giving bonuses against weaker enemies. Also expect an interesting mix of cards with the figure depicting those magic items and treasure mentioned in the text of the D&D Monster Manual.

Movanic Deva Angels (not to be confused with Monadic Deva Angels) are spotted by their milky-white look. They primarily aid followers of the gods of good in times of need, so makes sense we’d see them on the battlefield. In D&D the angels have magical weapons which deal extra damage and able to cast spells. Another spellcaster would be a welcome addition to the game. Also, angels have multiple attacks, so can use their mace twice.

Arakocra are neutral good and stand out for their diving melee attack. They also have javelins which give them ranged attacks as well. I see these troops being a solid flying troop unit, taking on both ground troops and flying units alike. The game currently feels like it has a bit of a divide between the aerial combat and the ground combat, and this unit will bridge the gap between the two. They also have some flavor of only using what’s needed. That can easily be depicted with limited upgrade slots.

When it comes to the Arakocra, the thing I’d love to see in the game is their ability to summon Air Elementals. You must have five of them, and if they don’t move and use their actions for three turns, they can summon the elemental who will remain in battle until all five die or one hour. There’s also a function of the the Arakocra returning to the Elemental Plane of Air with the Air Elemental, which could open up some interesting twists as far as victory points. It’s unknown if any of that will be seen in the game, but it’d be cool if it made its way into it.

Wave 3

Wave 3 was to be released in December and consists of a Silver Dragon, Harpy, and Wyvern, three more flying units.

Silver Dragons are the most social of the metallic dragons and cheerfully assist good creatures in need. That being said, I’d expect a “good” creature who gives bonuses to other “good” creatures. They also have an affinity to humans… can we see them not too far behind?

With Harpies the thing that stands out to me is their multi-attack of being able to attack with both their claws and club. They also have some history with elves, so its possible this will play in either characteristics or cards.

The final unit for wave three is the Wyvern. They also have a mutli-attack, their bite and a stinger. When flying they can use claws in place of an attack. This could easily be a nice change up from some other units’ attacks, especially when it comes to attacking ground units. The poison stinger also opens up a possible cool mechanic of damage that builds each turn once stung.

Wave 4

Wave four is supposed to be out in January and consists of a Gargoyle, Gold Dragon, and Stone Giant Elder. That’s two more flying units and one ground unit.

Gargoyles tend to lurk in buildings and around stone. How that can play out in a game should be interesting. They’re quite resistant which should be easy to represent. It’s interesting they have a stone connection and another release in this wave does as well.

The Gold Dragons are the most powerful and majestic of the metallic dragons. Expect a high point unit due to that. They are also dedicated against evil, so an alignment should be expected as well. They can also change shape. I doubt that’ll be a game mechanic, but you never know. They use Fire Breath (so expect that upgrade built in) and Weakening Breath, which I can see adding negative modifiers to those that are hit by it.

Finally Stone Giant Elders round out this wave. There’s the stone connection with Gargoyles, but also Harpies have a song that affect giants. Expect an extended melee attack and something to do with rocks and stone for abilities (duh).

Wave 5

This wave has a Red Dracolich, Drow Elf Ranger Drizzt, and a Bronze Dragon and supposed to be out in February. That’s two more flying units and a well known character in Drizzt.

A Dracolich is basically an undead dragon. They are old and powerful dragons, so expect a kick-ass Red Undead Dragon. They don’t get exhausted, so maybe we’ll see some resistance to that?

Drow Elf Ranger Drizzt is a famed character in the D&D world. I’d just expect a representation of Drizzt in miniature form. This is just another example of the fantastic synergy there is across the D&D products. I think we can expect to see more Drow in the future as well, at least I hope we can…..

Bronze Dragons collect loot, so maybe we’ll get some solid cards with this figure. They can also control weather, which could be a very cool game mechanic. They also have Lightning Breath and Repulsion Breath for attacks. The latter pushes units away.

Wave 6

Aiming for March, wave six brings us Dwarves! Dwarf soldiers make up this set, which should be awesome to pair with the already released ballista. Expect a six figure set like the elves and hobgoblins.

Bahamut

Out in April, this premium figure will retail for $79.99! Expect a massive figure to represent one of the most well known dragons from Forgotten Realms.

Tiamat

This figure will be available to shops participating in organized play. Below is the Icons Tiamat figure. Expect the same thing, except on a massive base for gameplay like Bahamut.

Related

2 comments

Thanks for this preview! Just so you know, Wave 2 also includes the Movanic Deva Angel and a flying troop of 6 Aarakocra, which should arrive in stores at exactly the same time as the black shadow dragon. :-)

Graphic Policy believes in journalistic integrity and transparency. We will disclose when a product has been given for free for review and/or when no cost has been incurred to the staff so that you may be able to make a fully informed decision as to the opinions provided.

When a product has been provided for free you will see disclosure at the bottom of the article. When such a disclosure does not exist, you can assume that the items have been purchased for review.